Miss Independent
by SouthernBlossom
Summary: Abby is determined to do things her way, even if it means putting her life at risk. WARNING: This story will contain spanking. Don't like? Don't read.
1. Wake Up Call

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Tim McGee awoke with a start. Had he been dreaming? For a moment he couldn't place the loud banging sounds but when they repeated Tim realized someone was knocking rather loudly on his apartment door. Pulling himself out of bed, he glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand.

3:24 AM

Who on earth would be banging on his door at such an hour? Tim didn't have to wonder for long. The moment he'd padded out to the door and peeked through the peek hole, he knew exactly who it was. The question now was, why was he here?

Tim opened the door, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Boss…? What are you…?"

"Get dressed, McGee," Gibbs cut him off quickly, stepping just inside the apartment.

He still had no idea what was going on, but Tim knew better than to ask any further questions right then, so he closed the door behind his boss and hurried to put on a sweater and a pair of slacks. Quickly slipping on a pair of shoes, Tim rejoined Gibbs out in the living room?

"Where are we going, Boss?" he finally asked. "Do I need my gear?"

"No," was the only answer he got as Gibbs held the front door open for McGee.

Tim quickly locked up, and they made their way down to Gibbs' car in silence. Fastening his seatbelt, Tim dared a glance at Gibbs. He seemed stiff, more so than usual, and he was definitely speeding, which to Tim meant something was wrong. Question was, what exactly was that something?

After almost five minutes of complete silence, Gibbs finally spoke. "We're going to the hospital, McGee," he explained quietly, his eyes glued to the road.

Tim processed this new information. They were headed to the hospital. That alone was something they could possibly do as part of an assignment, only Gibbs had specifically told Tim that he didn't need his gear. So they were going to the hospital, but it wasn't work-related.

Oh god. That meant somebody…

When Tim finally managed to find his voice, it was unusually tight. "Who, Boss?"

He heard Gibbs sigh. The next word that came out of the other man's mouth caused Tim's chest to constrict and his heart to skip a beat.

"Abby."


	2. A Broken Promise

**Author's Note:** For the sake of the story, I gave Abby a middle name. Needed it to flow better. If she already has a middle name set in stone, I apologize – but I'm keeping the one I thought up. :) Now, one with the chapter!

o o o o o

Abby Sciuto sat on the edge of the bed in her little 'room' in the ER, swinging her legs in boredom. She'd been there for one hour, forty minutes, and twenty three seconds, but to Abby it had felt like an eternity. Stupid doctors… always being bossy and telling her what she could and could not do! If it had been up to Abby, she would've been home by now, but nooooooo. Mr. ER Doctor wouldn't release her unless someone was there to take her home. Something about a possible concussion and the fact that she'd been unconscious when the ambulance had picked her up. Men! After a good ten minutes of arguing with that particularly stubborn man, Abby had finally relented and given them Gibbs' number. Any other time she might've called Tim first, but Abby knew exactly what _his_ reaction was going to be, and she just didn't care to deal with that. Not at nearly 4 'o clock in the morning. Gibbs was unaware of Abby's conversation with Tim, so the chances of him being angry with her were… well… they were less than the chances of Tim being angry, seeing as how the chances of Tim being angry were 100%.

In hindsight, she knew she should've taken a friend to the concert. It would've been even better if she'd driven instead of taking the subway. But no, for whatever reason, Abby had been feeling adventurous, and had decided to take the subway to a rather rowdy concert in downtown D.C. – alone… a concert that she'd already told Tim she wouldn't go to because he didn't like the idea of her going alone… a concert that she'd only agreed not to attend after Tim had threatened to set her butt on fire if she _did_ go alone.

She was dead if he found out.

It was a possibility, however small, that Tim wouldn't have to find out. Gibbs didn't know about the arrangement. He could come pick her up, she'd tell him that she was downtown and was mugged, but that she was okay. She'd tell him that Tim had no idea, of course, and Gibbs would probably scold her for it. Hell, maybe he'd even spank her, but there was no doubt in Abby's mind that whatever Gibbs doled out wouldn't come close to what Tim would do if he found out.

As long as Gibbs didn't find out about her prior conversation and agreement with Tim, Abby (and her butt!) would be just fine.

Abby was about to slide off of the bed and walk around when the door opened. She took one look at the two men standing in the doorway and silently cursed. What the hell was he doing here?

She didn't have long to ponder her sudden change of luck as Tim quickly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him like he'd decided never to let her go. "Thank god," he murmured, holding her tightly. He held her another moment before stepping back just slightly, his hands sliding down her arms to gently grasp her elbows, as he looked her over to assess any injuries. "What the hell happened, Abs? Are you okay? Gibbs said you were in the hospital, but the doctor wouldn't tell him anything else over the phone so I feared the worst…"

Abby tried to shrug nonchalantly, but her shoulder protested and she couldn't help but wince. "I'm fine, Timmy. It's just a few bumps and bruises. I'm okay to go home, but the ER doctor wouldn't release me unless someone was here to drive me."

Gibbs stepped forward, leaning over Tim's arm to press a fatherly kiss to Abby's temple. "I'm glad you're okay, but you didn't answer McGee's question. What happened?"

She sighed softly. "Does it really matter?"

"Yes," Tim and Gibbs said simultaneously.

Abby glanced down at her lap. There was no way she was going to look in their faces when she admitted to someone hurting her. "I was sort of mugged."

"What?" Tim exclaimed loudly as Gibbs gently turned Abby's chin with his finger so he could see her face. "Explain, Abs."

"This guy came up behind me," she began honestly. "He pressed something into my side and ordered me to give him my wallet and my jewelry. But I took a self-defense class a while ago, so I tried to disarm him and get away. We fought, and he knocked me out. I guess someone saw what was happening and called the cops, because I woke up in an ambulance with my wallet still in my pocket and my jewelry on."

Abby knew it sounded bad. Tim had paled and Gibbs looked ready to kill, though thank the lord that anger wasn't directed at her at the moment. "I really am okay though," she reiterated. "The bump on my head is small, and they already did a CT scan and said everything looks normal, and nothing's broken. Just some scratches and bruises. I just want to go home and go to bed and forget about what happened."

Tim pulled her to him once again, sighing loudly. "I'm so glad you're going to be okay."

"Does this mean I can go home now?"

Gibbs nodded. "As soon as the doctor comes and gives the okay, we'll get you home."

Releasing Abby, Tim kissed her softly. "What on earth were you doing downtown at such a late hour, Abs?"

Blushing, Abby looked away. Damn. She couldn't lie to Tim any better than she could lie to anyone else, and the truth would convict her. Either way, she was screwed, so Abby held out as long as she could and kept quiet.

"Abs?" Tim asked again after a few seconds of silence. "Abby…" He bent down to try to see her face, and when he caught the blush on her cheeks he felt his jaw set. "Tell me you didn't, Abby."

Abby stared everywhere except at the two men in the room. "I can't," she mumbled guiltily.

A firm hand caught her chin and tilted it so Abby had no choice but to look at Tim. "You promised, Abby," came the quiet accusation. "You. Promised."

She bit her lip unconsciously. "I'm sorry, Tim."

Tim shook his head slightly. "Not as sorry as you're going to be, Abigail."

Abby gulped at the use of her given name.

"Hey Boss," Tim said as he turned to Gibbs. "I want Abby to come home with me tonight. I'd like to keep an eye on her to make sure she's really okay, and she and I need to have a serious discussion."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "What am I missing, McGee?"

"Go ahead, Abby," Tim told her, his voice still calm. "Tell Gibbs why you're in _deep_ trouble."

"I'd rather not," mumbled Abby.

"Tell you what, Abby. If _I_ have to tell Gibbs what you did, we'll be having the same discussion tomorrow night that we're going to have tonight."

"That's not fair," she said with a pout.

Tim's eyes widened with surprise. "You want to talk about fair, Abigail? You breaking your promise to me – **that** isn't fair. The fact that you could've **died** tonight – **that** isn't fair. So either you tell Gibbs what you did, and why I'm so angry right now, or I **promise **you that you won't be sitting comfortably for the next several days. Your choice, and you have about five seconds to decide. One…"

Abby gulped. Tim didn't make idle promises any more than Gibbs did, especially when it came to Abby and her safety. But still… to have to admit her actions to Gibbs and watch him give her that disappointed look… Well, that wasn't something she wanted to deal with. Gibbs' disappointment was worse than any punishment he ever meted out.

"Two…"

Unfortunately, Gibbs was going to be disappointed, because either way, he was going to find out. Abby didn't have any choice in the matter, and the thought of not wanting to sit for days made Abby want to throw up.

"Three…"

"Fine!" she shouted suddenly, surprising both men in the room. "I'll tell him," Abby relented as she wrapped her arms around her body and stared at the floor. "Just please stop counting."

For the first time since the attack, Abby felt her eyes grow wet as all of the unshed tears pooled there. One tear managed to slide down her cheek before she felt a gentle hand stroke her cheek, wiping away the stray tear. She looked up to see Gibbs' face just inches from her own.

"Talk to me, Abs," he said softly. "What happened?"

"I… I promised Tim I wouldn't go to that concert downtown tonight unless I had someone to go with. But I couldn't find anyone to go with me and I didn't want to drag Tim because I knew he wouldn't enjoy it and I figured he was just overreacting so I went anyway, and I didn't feel like driving anywhere so I decided to take the subway and it was on my way back to the subway from the concert that that guy attacked me…" She looked away, unwilling to see the certain look of disappointment on his face.

Gibbs sighed, eliciting a sniffle of guilt from Abby. "Abby, look at me."

She shook her head. "I don't want to."

"And I don't care whether or not you want to. Eyes up here, Abby. Now."

Abby sniffled again, but she lifted her eyes to meet Gibbs.' "I'm sorry, Gibbs," she whispered.

It was his turn to shake his head. "I'm not the one who deserves an apology, Abby, but I will tell you this. What you did was foolish and dangerous. **Extremely** dangerous. That man could've killed you, and none of us would've known anything until the police showed up at NCIS. I can't speak for McGee, but you will NOT put me through that, Abigail Ann. Do you understand me?"

Not trusting her voice to work properly, she could only nod.

"Now, the ONLY reason I'm not taking you to my house and tearing your ass up tonight for risking your life so foolishly is because I know McGee will take care of it. But make no mistake, if you even THINK of pulling a stunt like this again, I promise you that you won't want to sit for a month, and that's in addition to whatever McGee does. Do you understand me, young lady?"

Abby nodded again, but Gibbs only shook his head. "Yes or no, Abigail."

"Y-y-yes."

"Good."

He stared sternly at her another minute before pulling her into his arms. "Don't scare me like that again, Abs. This old man can't take much more."

Her emotions finally hitting a head, she once again wrapped her arms around herself as she buried her face in his chest and cried.


	3. Fear and Guilt

An hour later, Abby found herself chewing on her fingernails as she followed Tim into his apartment, Gibbs right behind her. Now that she was a 'free woman,' at least as far as the hospital was concerned, Abby was beginning to wish they'd kept her overnight. She knew what was in store for her at Tim's, and she wasn't looking forward to any bit of it.

"All right," Gibbs said as soon as he closed the door behind them. "Are you two all set, McGee?"

Tim nodded. "Yeah, Boss. Abby's got some extra clothes and other things here."

Abby was sure Gibbs would comment on that, but he only nodded in approval. Then, before she had time to think, he was in front of her and his hands were gently grasping her shoulders.

"If you give Tim even the slightest bit of trouble, and I find out about it, I will be here in heartbeat and I'll bring the paddle. Is that clear, Abby?"

"Yes, Gibbs," she whispered.

"Behave." Gibbs dropped a kiss to her forehead. Then he let go of Abby's left shoulder and reached behind her to land a mighty swat on her bottom, eliciting a surprised yelp out of the young woman. Turning, Gibbs left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Abby stood there, trying to rub the sting out of her butt. _Damn, that hurt_. Not that she would really expect anything less from Gibbs, but then again, Abby hadn't expected that swat at all.

"Come on, Abs." Abby looked over to see Tim standing a few feet away, his hand held out toward her.

She knew she could reach his and from where she was, but she couldn't move. It was as if her body had frozen, with the only moveable part her head. "T-T-Timmy…" she stuttered, her voice breaking.

"Hey…" Tim quickly closed the distance between them as he pulled Abby to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Abby quickly wrapped her own arms around Tim's torso and held on like she never planned to let go. "Abs, what's…?" Tim stopped the moment he felt her body shake against his. Without a second thought, he reached down and lifted her up into his arms. He slowly walked over to the recliner and sat, settling Abby on his lap and covering her with a nearby blanket before cuddling her to him. "Abby, you're shaking. What's wrong?"

Abby tried to explain. She really did, but the words that came from her mouth sounded more like mumbles and choked sobs than intelligent speech. Tim did manage to catch the words 'mad' and 'sorry,' and that was enough for him to have at least a slight idea as to what was going on.

"Shhh," he said as he combed his fingers through her hair, allowing his fingertips to gently massage her head. They sat there in silence for several minutes as Tim soothed Abby. When Tim no longer felt Abby shaking, he smoothed her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Sweetheart, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" He waited for her nod. "I am not mad at you. I am disappointed that you broke your promise and put yourself in harm's way, and I know you understand that, but I am not disappointed **in** you, and I am not angry with you."

Tim let his words sink in for another moment before he gazed down at Abby. She'd calmed considerably, and her breathing was nearing normal. "Are you okay now, Abby?"

She didn't trust her voice to work properly just yet, so Abby nodded, not making any effort to move from her spot.

"Why don't you go take a shower," Tim suggested as he rubbed Abby's shoulder with one hand. "I'm sure you'll feel better after."

"No," Abby said immediately as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't want to."

"Abs…" he tried again.

"No."

"Abby…"

"No!" Abby shrieked, clutching onto Tim even tighter. "I don't want to!"

Tim sighed, unsure of what to do. He'd never seen Abby like this before, and he was lost as to how to help her, but he did know one thing – there was no way he could spank her while she was so upset.

"Let's go get ready for bed, then."

Abby shook her head. "I'm not getting up," she mumbled.

She couldn't see the smile on his face as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "You don't have to." Before she had the opportunity to ask why, Tim stood, easily lifting Abby into his arms.

"Timmyyyyyy," whined Abby. Her arms immediately moved of their own accord to link behind Tim's head, ensuring he couldn't drop her or put her down easily. "I don't want to go to bed!"

"It's late, Abs," he reminded her as he carried her into the bedroom. "We both need some sleep." Tim set Abby down on the bed before carefully prying her arms from around his neck. Then, before she could say anything, he crouched down so they were face-to-face. "I am not going anywhere, Abby. I promise. I am going to get ready for bed, and you'll get ready for bed, and then we'll go to bed. I will hold you all night long. Okay?"

It sounded too good to be true. Less than an hour ago he was ready to spank her right then and there in the hospital room. What had happened to that anger? "B-but what about… I mean… aren't you going to…?"

He knew exactly what she was getting at. "I can see you're still shaken up, Abby. Now isn't the time for us to have that discussion. What's most important is that you get some rest."

"O-okay," Abby agreed.

Tim kissed Abby tenderly before undressing and preparing for bed. Not five minutes later, he was ready and made his way to the bed only to find Abby still sitting there. "Abs… Baby, you need to get ready for bed too. What do you want to wear to bed?"

"My sh-sh-shirt," she mumbled, not moving an inch.

Tim retrieved Abby's favorite oversized t-shirt and helped her undress before slipping the shirt over her head. While she moved her arms through the sleeves, he turned down the bed, making sure everything was ready so that Abby could just climb in. Turning back around, he saw she was finally ready. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go to bed.

He managed to coax Abby into bed, and immediately pulled her to him before tucking the covers around them. "There," he murmured, her head tucked comfortably under his chin. "You're safe and sound. Try to get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you," Abby repeated as she wrapped her arms around him and inhaled his scent.

o o o o o

Abby couldn't sleep. She wasn't sure how long they'd been in bed, but she was sure that there was no way she was going to fall asleep with the way things were. She couldn't get her mind off the events of that night. The man poking her with a gun… waking up in an ambulance… seeing Gibbs and Tim's faces when she admitted what had happened… seeing their faces when they found out what she'd done… Knowing Tim hadn't fully forgiven her yet… It was too much for Abby to fall asleep.

She couldn't tell if Tim was still awake. She doubted he was – he'd yawned rather loudly after they'd climbed in bed. Abby really needed to talk to him, but she didn't want to wake him if he had fallen asleep.

Shifting for the umpteenth time that night, Abby felt a set of lips press into her hair. "Sleep, Abs," came the soft voice.

"I can't," she said in a small voice.

"Why not?"

Abby shrugged her shoulders, but Tim simply pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Yes you do know," he countered. "Talk to me, Abs."

She paused for a moment before finally admitting, "I need you to forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Tim repeated, somewhat confused. "Forgive you for what, Abby?"

"For breaking my promise… and for putting myself in danger… and for scaring you…"

Tim sighed and kissed the top of her head again. "Abby, I've already forgiven you for all of that. You don't need to worry about that. Just go to sleep, sweetie."

"I can't!" Abby repeated, this time more insistently. "I can't sleep! Not until it's all over and done with!"

"Abby, what on earth do you… Oh." He stared at her for a long moment before brushing the hair from her eyes. "Are you asking me to spank you, Abby?"

Abby hadn't expected him to ask her that outright, and she stumbled over a response. "I… well… you said you were going to… and you were really mad… but then you didn't, and now my stomach is all jumbled up and I can't sleep no matter how hard I try, and…" She trailed off, staring at him with a frown.

Tim studied his girlfriend intently, trying to decide what to do. It was true that she'd probably sleep better after they got that bit of unpleasantness out of the way, but he didn't want to push it if she was still worked up from the evening's events. Looking at the look of desperation in her eyes, he finally decided it was better to clear the air now than to leave it for the morning.

"All right," he said, shifting over just enough so he could push himself into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard with his legs straight out in front of him. He patted his thighs. "C'mon. We'll get this over with."

Slowly Abby positioned herself across his thighs and buried her face in her arms as he moved the back of her shirt out of the way and then tugged her panties down to mid-thigh.

"Why am I about to spank you, Abby?" he asked her, his voice gentle in spite of what he was about to do to her backside. Tim rubbed her back soothingly as he waited for her to answer.

"I broke my promise not to go the concert by myself… and I put myself in danger and scared you…"

Tim smiled. "Good girl," he whispered a second before his hand cracked down on Abby's unprotected rear.

It wasn't a long spanking, but it was hard and fast, and Abby was crying within five seconds. Maybe twenty seconds after he'd started, Tim stopped, and the hand that had punished moments before was now soothing. He let her stay that way for a few minutes while she calmed a bit, then he carefully pulled her panties back up over her rosy bottom and lifted her up into his arms as he whispered words of love.

Less than a minute later, Tim looked down at Abby's face only to realize she was fast asleep. Smiling, he kissed her forehead before scooting down and settling them both back under the covers, succumbing quickly to sleep himself.


End file.
